tinder – PSafe Blog

Avoid the Tinder Swindler: how to date online safely

Bianca Moura — Tue, 22 Feb 2022 14:18:16 +0000

Good con artists have a strange relationship with emotion: many of them demonstrate an almost uncanny ability to manipulate and elicit emotions in others, yet they’re often detached from their own emotions. This frightening combination is in evidence throughout the recent independent film sensation The Tinder Swindler.

The film tells the story of a conman who uses the Tinder app to insinuate himself into the lives of three female victims. In the film, Simon Leviev sets up elaborate romantic cons to appear as a wealthy diamond heir, then uses the trust he has gained to steal information, then money – only to use that money to fund the con for his next victim.

It’s a taut and dramatically told story, but without a clear moral or ending. (The New York Post has reported that Leviev has signed with a Hollywood agent, and “wants his own dating show.”)

How To Stay Safe: Five Scammer Prevention Keys

But the moral for users of Tinder — and social media in general — are still the same: proceed with caution! Below are a Five Keys to help you stay safe as you navigate dating apps like Tinder — they’re also useful guidelines for people you might meet on any other social app like Facebook:

Do some research — and take your time. Before meeting in real life with anyone you’ve met online, take the time to do a little background research and find out if the person you’re speaking to is who they say they are.

Consider bringing a friend for the first date(s), and meet in public. Yes, this will keep you safer, and it might also help provide a more casual atmosphere where you can learn a little bit more about your new friend.

Be sensitive about peculiar information requests. Spoiler alert: The Tinder Swindler orchestrated reasons to get Passport information, and then quickly put it to nefarious use. Whatever the reason given, a quick pivot to requests for detailed personal data is always a sure warning sign, especially in a new relationship.

Keep your purse, phone, and ID’s close. Don’t overlook simple physical sources of data like these. Don’t leave them unattended.
If you have any suspicions, check in to things. If anything seems odd in terms of your interactions, don’t bury your head in the sand. A good security solution like dfndr security can help you track where your data is going and also protect your physical phone from theft. Stay on top of your bank and credit card accounts.

Remember: Most Scammers Don’t Do A Lot of Romancing

The Tinder Swindler is also a healthy reminder that most scams are not quite as elaborate as those cooked up by Simon Leviev. But most scams operate on the same human emotions of romance and self-interest.

Set some clear rules for yourself in the dating world – and also for when you’re answering emails and text messages — or when you’re looking for work on a job site. If it looks too good to be true – it probably is!

These Are the Five Dating Apps That Are Killing Tinder

PSafe Newsroom — Thu, 13 Apr 2017 19:00:56 +0000

If you’re getting sick of Tinder, then here’s some good news: there are a lot of popular alternatives out there. And it’s about time, since dating apps are now limiting their free services by introducing a premium, paid service. With all of the fake Tinder bots, judgments, and sleazy come-ons, it’ll be easy to ditch Tinder with one of these five dating apps that are catching up to Tinder in popularity. One of these may just be the right dating app to help you find love and happily ever after.

Skout

Like Tinder, Skout lets you read about users and swipe profiles that interest you. Unlike Tinder, though, Skout lets you see the profiles of users who have looked at your profile and favorited you. Also like Tinder, the premium version costs money, but can boost your profile on the app.

Hinge

While Hinge looks a lot like Tinder, it has features that set it apart. For one, it relies on your Facebook friends to help you make connections. Specifically, it connects you with friends of friends after you’ve answered a series of questions that indicate compatibility. Further, if you want to know more about someone, you can ask your Facebook friends for more information. This way you aren’t going in blind on a potential date.

Bumble

Bumble is marketed as a woman-oriented dating app. If a man and a woman like one another’s profiles, the woman controls the interaction and must message the man within 24 hours or the match will be canceled. Bumble also lets people search and meet up with others looking for new friends only.

Happn

The purpose of Happn is to put you in connection with people you’ve seen before, in passing. The app helps you connect with people who were near the same location you were at some point in time. If you like someone and they like you back, you can then start chatting and test the theory of serendipitous encounters.

LOVOO

LOVOO is different from other apps because you can use a radar that helps you find people closest to you. After you find people in your area, you can start chatting with them by sending a message. Other cool features include invisibility mode and unlimited chat results. A major downside of LOVOO, though, is that most of these features are only available with a paid subscription.

What Will Be the Most Popular Dating Apps in 2017?

PSafe Newsroom — Mon, 30 Jan 2017 16:00:07 +0000

In the age of dating apps, meeting at a bar or through a mutual friend seems old-fashioned. The following are some of the most popular dating apps of the last few years. Continue reading to learn why they’ll continue to dominate the dating app world in 2017.

Tinder

Tinder has been one of the most frequently downloaded dating apps throughout the past few years. The application launched the infamous “swiping” method, where swiping right indicates an attraction to the other person, and swiping left rejects them.

If two people swipe right on each other, they are matched and encouraged to chat. Tinder is anonymous, so you don’t know if someone likes you until you match each other. The app also enables you to include a bio, which includes education, occupation, and a brief introduction. More than 8 billion matches have been initiated in Tinder since its launch in 2012.

Moreover, Tinder has recently unveiled new features such as the “super like,” which informs the other user that the person has a special interest in them. Free users get one super like a day, where paying members get up to 3 super likes per day.

If you use the free version, you only get a limited number of right-swipes per day. However, paying members get an unlimited number of swipes, and they can set their destination to different parts of the world. This is in contrast to the free version, where you can only see other Tinder users within a certain radius of your current location.

Bumble

Bumble is an app with extremely similar characteristics to Tinder. For instance, the swiping system is the same, so swiping right means yes, while swiping left means no. However, Bumble is unique because only the woman is allowed to message first. As a result, men are left to wait until the woman initiates the conversation.

Unlike Tinder, Bumble allows you to swipe as many times a day as you please. However, if you are using the free version of Bumble, the woman has only 24 hours to initiate the conversation, or the match expires. Paying for the application removes this feature, allowing you to start conversations with expired matches.

Grindr

Grindr is designed specifically for the LGBT community. This application has similar features to Bumble and Tinder, but it does not have an option for heterosexual matches. Grindr was one of the first gay geosocial applications to launch. Since this time, it has been the most popular LGBT-oriented application in the world.

Dating Apps That Are Safer Than Using Tinder

PSafe Newsroom — Thu, 27 Oct 2016 10:50:28 +0000

Not many people have gone through college without “swiping” left and right on Tinder. While some users take it more seriously than others, it has become a popular app for those who are looking to date or to socialize. However, there have been multiple reports of malicious people utilizing Tinder to stalk their next prey.

As a result, this has sent dating app enthusiasts to other romance networks. Here are a few popular alternatives to Tinder.

Coffee Meets Bagel!
Coffee Meets Bagel! is a dating app that keeps your matching options limited. This is because it only offers you matches that you have mutual friends with. This keeps your circle closer and more intimate, and gives you something (or someone) to talk about when you message your match. Your match is called your bagel, which is kinda weird, but whatever it takes to find your Prince Charming. CMB is unique because it automatically gives you a match every day at noon. This helps to facilitate a conversation between two people in case they would be a good match.

Because the server is so much smaller, this app is not feasible for those who like to match with multiple people. Patience is key in CMB, as you will not get matches nearly as frequently as you would with Tinder.

OKCupid
While Tinder only allows you to give an elevator speech about yourself in your profile, OKCupid enables you to post your whole life’s story on your profile page. Next to Tinder, OKCupid is one of the most popular dating sites in the world, and has been around much longer than these newer dating apps. As a result, there are many users in multiple countries, so finding a significant other should not be a problem if you search far enough.

Unlike Tinder, OKCupid allows you to filter your searches in detail. For example, you can search for people who are looking for either a platonic or romantic relationship. This filter allows you to tailor your searches for people that are suitable just for you. If you are into the Tinder swiping game, then OKCupid has a similar feature that will allow you to swipe left or right on your potential love interests.